School is out- summer begins!!!

First day at the pool!!!

Brothers are home so Ingrid is so happy!!!
Now it's time to open the cabin for the summer!

She is not sure of her first pontoon ride!!!



Uncle Mike is one of her favorites too!!!

 Cousins Lydia and Lily take Ingrid for a wagon ride.  She falls asleep so we pulled the whole wagon right into the cabin where Ingrid slept (with a lifejacket still on) for an hour.  What we didn't realize is that the wagon had goose droppings all over the wheels which then left the cabin with a powerful aroma!!!

Hot Tub!



Everytime the hot tub is open... Ingrid wants in!

What a delightful 2 year old to have in our family.  The boys are all so good with her and their friends are as well.  It's very sweet to see all kinds of big, growing, athletic, slightly-smelly teenage boys turn into sweet, gentle boys around Ingrid!

The trampoline is one of Ingrid's favorites.... she is usually on it without a shirt on, surrounded by lots of boys!

Some more favorites of Ingrid's.... dancing and bubbles!

It is a joy to watch Ingrid grow and change and become more and more comfortable around everyone.  We were able to leave her for a night with grandparents while we attended a reunion. Knowing that she is OK with us gone for an overnight is major growth!  We know she is attaching and we know she feels loved.  She just started letting us cradle her like a baby. This is new.  She calls herself "Ingrid, baby", and I can take her in my arms and she looks into my eyes.  For 18 months she did not have that baby-mother connection. It makes my heart sing when she gazes up into my eyes- and she knows it's her mom. 

There was some confusion in our adoption agency in thinking that Ingrid's little friend , Xinqiang had died suddenly from his heart condition, just days before a family was flying over to China to bring him home.  It turns out it wasn't him but another little boy from the same province.  There is no "relief" that it wasn't Xinqiang,  the boy we had met.  There is only sadness that a child had to die without ever being held by their family.  It's not dying with dignity, it's dying without love.  That's a heartbreaking thought and reality.  We know God did not intend us to bring little Ingrid home from China and slip into our typical suburban life- forgetting what we saw and experienced in China.  Our eyes were opened for a reason.  I think it digs deep into the hearts of both Matt and I and the four boys.  Perhaps this will sit deep with the boys for a while as they go through school, their sports, their girlfriends, their lives. We do pray that somehow each of us will make a difference in people's lives because of what we've seen. 

 One last early summer video... Ingrid is officially "spoiled" as she has spent more time on top of the table than all four boys combined have ever done!